Living in Nigeria has taught me how to cope with or without light. I’ve lived in different states and I can bodly say that the power supply differs, even when these states are all under the same country; and in these states the power supply differs in different areas.
I’ve lived in Delta and I would rate the power supply(a direct power supply) in the area I lived a 3.5/10, they could be generous with power supply this week and the next three weeks, nothing. In the area I stayed, we battled with very low voltage that could barely power our televisions and charge our phones…yes, it was that bad!
The few days in a week we had power supply, the voltage would be extremely low—we only had the normal voltage once in a blue moon. So whenever they supplied us light, it was better they didn’t because I couldn’t use it for anything tangible and was always scared the low voltage could damage my appliances.
Then come the times there was heavy rain or downpour, all the poles and wires would be on the ground and there would be power outage for days on end. To rectify the problem would take days or even weeks.
I remember one nasty incident that happened some years ago. I was out to get some foodstuffs when the rain started—I hoped it would stop soon but it didn’t, by the time it did, I started my journey back home. On my way, I saw naked wires on the wet ground—luckily for me, I was swift enough to avoid it. I climbed a dwarf fence into an uncompleted building and onto a dry ground. Almost immediately, the naked wire started sparking and almost went up in flames but luckily, there was no one passing at that time.
I climbed fences like a criminal till I left that area. But what if I had mistakenly stepped on it?
I went to the Nepa office the next day to complain , it took them three days to patch it up, leaving a big room for electrical accidents in the future.
At the end of the month, they still bring outrageous electrical bills to pay, threatening to cut you off from the power supply if you don’t pay. So it doesn’t matter if they don't supply you light —you MUST pay the inflated electrical bills always.
In Lagos that I stayed in before that, it was a long street and while half of the street had steady light because a man of importance stayed there, the other half where unfortunately I lived on, was constantly in darkness.
In the city of PortHarcourt, I would rate the light 9/10–it was a direct power supply. The period of time I stayed there, they gave light at least 8-10 hours a day—in Nigeria, it’s a big deal because most places don’t get as much light. They usually provided light in the afternoons for 3-4 hours and in the evenings/nighttime for 5-6 hours or more.
The power supply there was steady, every week they rescheduled their times for supplying power and maintained it throughout that week.
Whenever the power supply developed fault, it took them 3-4 days to rectify—after rectification they would usually compensate for the days we stayed without light. They would give us power supply for days with just an hour or two interval to make up, I infact barely used my Generator, didn’t have to worry that my phone might run down, it was fun while I stayed there but relocated for some reasons.
Thank you very much for your continuous support 🙏
